Childhood Loyalties
by rewind gone nuts
Summary: 20 sentences, keywords, drabbles, oneshots and other random stuff, all based around one key concept. Ranma and Ukyo as a couple.
1. Chapter 1

**Childhood Loyalties**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form._

**Author's Notes:** this anthology as a whole is something that's been clicking away in my mind more or less since Another Rainy Day In Nerima began to reach its climax. This idea I literally just came up with straight out of nowhere, so I decided to run with it and start this anthology off. For the curious, yes, I do have plans for a Ranma/Shampoo equivalent to this. Keywords and prompts are always welcome, especially seeing as how I have nothing to do with LiveJournal.

Back to Nerima

The crowd roared and cheered; the martial arts tournament being held today had turned out particularly exciting, with a strange challenger literally coming out of nowhere and defeating every other competitor. Now it was the final round, and neither fighter seemed in the slightest diminished as they punched and kicked at each other. The enthusiastic uproar only got more intense when one challenger backflipped away from the other, landing at the other end of the arena, and then threw some sort of yellow fireball at the second fighter, knocking her clear out of the ring. The referee promptly made the obvious call.

"Winner! Ranma Saotome!"

Breathing heavily, sweating with exertion, but smiling triumphantly, Ranma made a triumphant gesture for the crowd.

After collecting his winnings, Ranma began heading back through the streets, looking up at a delighted call of "Ranchan!" He had barely managed to turn in the direction the voice had come from when the speaker had thrown her arms around him with a cry of delight. He smiled, but before he had the chance to say anything, she kissed him on the lips for several seconds before he managed to shake her loose.

"Ucchan!" He protested, blushing brightly.

The girl in his arms simply smiled back indulgently. "Three years we've been together, and you still get flustered over a little kiss? We've done more than that…" She teased, stepping back from him just enough that she could gently run one hand over her stomach, a slight swelling barely visible beneath her clothes.

"Not in public, though." Ranma pointed out, his blush faded, but still present. "I won the tournament." He said, eager to get off this embarrassing topic of conversation.

"Never doubted you for a second, Ranchan. That money will help us make up what it cost for that trip to Jusenkyo." Ukyo said casually. It had barely been four months since they had finally saved enough that they could comfortably afford the trip to China for Ranma to finally remove his Nyanniichuan curse. In fact, she was positive that it had been their night of celebration afterwards that had led to her present condition. "Let's get back to the cart; I've got something to tell you."

Ranma looked at her curiously, but followed her without asking. As usual, Ukyo had set up their cart and other personal belongings in a convenient alcove, not too far away, and they reached it soon.

"So, what is it?" Ranma asked.

"While you were fighting, I got a letter… from Nerima." Ukyo added hesitantly, easily able to read the spark of pain that flashed in Ranma's eyes at that name. It was obvious that it still hurt to think about the past; their departure from Nerima hadn't exactly been under the best of circumstances. Finding out that Akane, for reasons that Ukyo didn't know (and was rather sure Ranma didn't know himself), had slept with Mousse would have been bad enough for a relationship as full of mistrust, jealousy, possessiveness and disrespect as Ranma and Akane's had been… but coupled with Akane finding out she was pregnant because of that, Mousse vowing to make an honest woman of her (the cynical part of Ukyo's mind still couldn't resist speculating as to how much of that was Mousse's sense of honor and how much was Cologne standing behind him with the proverbial pointy stick and blunt knife), and Soun's willingness to accept Mousse as Akane's "new husband"…

Ukyo was drawn out of her thoughts when she realized that Ranma had been speaking while she was lost in her memories. "Sorry, what was that, Ranchan?" She asked.

"I said, what's the letter?" Ranma repeated. Ukyo handed it over, unspeaking, and Ranma began to browse. "You are cordially invited to the wedding of Kasumi Tendo and… Tsubasa Kurenai!?" He shouted this last part, drawing curious stares from the passers-by. He quickly quieted down and waited for them to lose interest and move on before turning quizzically to Ukyo. "Did you know about this?"

"Not until I got that later, I didn't." Ukyo answered without hesitation, her expression making it clear that she was also confused and surprised by it. "I don't know which is more surprising; that she invited us or that she's marrying that crossdressing stalker."

"I'll say." Ranma muttered, continuing to read over the invitation. "Hmm… we probably could make it there in time, we're not that far from the place… but do you want to go?"

"If you're willing to go, then I'll go too." Ukyo declared instantly. "I never had anything against Kasumi, and even Tsubasa wasn't that much of an annoyance. You're the one who that place hurt; it's your decision if we go. I'll stand beside you either way."

Ranma gave her an appreciative smile, then his attention turned inwards as he tried to decide what he was going to do. Though he didn't regret leaving Nerima with Ukyo after that whole disaster had stormed in (hell, he was sure he'd have gone mad if he'd tried to stay), that didn't mean he really wanted to see Akane again- no matter how the situation might have turned out with Mousse after he'd left, he still couldn't forget the fact she had slept with another guy and gotten pregnant. And, to make things worse, he had no way of proving that Akane was totally innocent in that affair.

Shampoo had outright laughed in his face when he'd first told her about it, then gotten irritated and asked him to stop joking, then finally fainted when she'd accepted that he was actually telling the truth, so that took responsibility off of her- she was pretty good at faking innocence, but she wasn't **that** good. Cologne had sworn on her honor that she wasn't responsible, pointing out that she (and, by extension, Shampoo) had always attempted to influence Ranma to fall in love with Shampoo- getting Akane and Mousse out of the picture wasn't really advantageous, seeing as how Ranma still had Ukyo and Kodachi chasing him, not to mention Nabiki and Kasumi as potential "replacements" for their sister. That didn't mean that Mousse couldn't have tried to use some kind of "lust potion" on Shampoo, only to goof up and mistake Akane for her (it wouldn't be the first time)… but Ranma just couldn't bring himself to have that much trust for Akane. Maybe it was because of how she had always been so quick to accuse him of perversion, even though he could usually explain things reasonably if she'd give him a chance.

But, on the other hand, he didn't have anything against Kasumi- in fact; she was the Tendo girl who had been the most hospitable towards him (well, she hadn't been in the habit of hitting him, yelling at him, or trying to steal from him, and she made sure that he got regular meals, so same thing). If she wanted him to be there for her wedding, well, he couldn't really say no, now could he?

Plus, he was curious. Not just morbidly curious about what could have possibly happened that might have made Tsubasa and Kasumi get together (admittedly, Tsubasa was the least clingy person he knew in Nerima, and Kasumi never really had seemed all that aware of Tofu's crush on her), but also about what might have changed. It had been three years since he'd left and, as aggravating as it had been sometimes, Nerima was the one place that he could best consider a home. He'd never spent so long in a single town until his father had brought him there. Even though he'd moved on in the end, it still meant something to him. He nodded to himself as he made his decision and put the invitation in his pocket.

"I guess if she's inviting us, then the least we can do is go."

"If you're sure, Ranchan." Ukyo said, not looking too displeased with the idea. "But first we'll need to get some appropriate clothes- we can't turn up in these old things. Oh, and presents for the bride, naturally." She began in an excited tone.

"Naturally." Ranma parroted. He looked at the cheque he'd been given for winning the tournament, then heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Well, it was nice while it lasted."

Ukyo gave him a friendly punch in the shoulder, prompting a wry grin from her fiancé and traveling partner. With that, the two began discussing whether they should start shopping now, or head to Nerima and buy the appropriate things when they got there.

XXX

"Would you please stop fidgeting?" Nabiki asked in an exasperated tone, causing an embarrassed smile and perfect stillness as Kasumi heard her and snapped awake. The middle Tendo girl sighed and shook her head. "I know that you're hopeless, but would you please not wriggle? Getting you into this dress is hard enough- and we're going to have to get you into and out of several more before this day is over, you know."

"I know, sister, I know." Kasumi said softly. "I've been waiting for this day for what feels like ages, now…"

"Certainly feels that way to me." Nabiki muttered sourly. "Why am I doing this, anyway? I was never really the dress wearing type- even Akane wore this sort of thing more often then I did."

Kasumi gave an understanding smile. "Is that jealousy I hear? Upset that your boyfriend hasn't asked you yet?" She teased.

Nabiki did something that would have been unthinkable about four years ago. She blushed. "Oh, come off it sis, you know it's not like that- Ryoga and I simply hang out now and then; he still brings those souvenirs around, so somebody should take them."

"Whatever you say, Nabiki." Kasumi said, smiling. "And I know this isn't really what you'd like to be doing, but you were the only one I can ask. It really should be one of my sisters who helps me today, and Akane's… well…"

"Too pregnant?" Nabiki supplied helpfully. "Well, you're right about that- I'm amazed the girl can still get out of bed."

"I heard that, Nabiki." The youngest Tendo complained as she… well… _waddled_ was the only appropriate word… into the room. "It's my last trimester and I'm having twins- excuse me for looking a little bigger than usual."

"Big?" Nabiki repeated sarcastically. "Face it, sister, that girlish figure of yours was a casualty the moment you started throwing up in the mornings."

Akane blushed and placed one hand on her protruding stomach, apparently unconsciously, as her firstborn daughter Hitomi toddled idly up behind her and nodded with all the graveness a pink-haired (inherited from her father's side of the family; Mousse had confirmed it) three-year-old could muster.

"Dada make mama all big." She stated matter-of-factly, at which Akane blushed in embarrassment and, with a grunt of exertion, awkwardly bent down to pick her up.

"Now, sweetie, we don't say things like that in public." She said as sweetly as she could, her tone made a lie by the icy glare she shot at her sniggering elder sister. "Laugh it up, Nabiki- wait until you have kids."

"As if." The middle Tendo drolled, then returned her attention to Kasumi's dress. "Why don't the guys have to deal with this sort of headache?" She muttered to herself.

Meanwhile, in the groom's room…

"Will you stop pacing? You're giving me a headache." Mousse complained, staring right at Tsubasa despite the fact he wasn't wearing his glasses, a fact that would have surprised those who knew of him but were unaware that he'd switched to contact lenses.

"That's easy for you to say." The soon-to-be groom complained, striding over to the full-length mirror and nervously examining his clothes again.

"I am married myself, you know. And about to be a father for the second time." Mousse pointed out flatly.

"Are you sure my clothes are alright?" Tsubasa asked; if he had heard Mousse, he certainly hadn't paid any attention.

"They're fine…. Wait, what do you care? You wear women's clothes most of the time." Mousse pointed out incredulously.

"Which is why I'm so nervous about these!" Tsubasa snapped back. "Where's Ryoga?" He suddenly bit out.

"Who knows?" Mousse said dismissively, making a gesture with his wrist for emphasis. "Could be on the dark side of the Moon – I certainly wouldn't put it past him."

Almost as if responding to some unwritten script, the door suddenly flew open and what looked like a walking flower arrangement strolled in, which a second glance proved to Ryoga carrying a flower arrangement. "I'm not that bad, duck-boy." He grumbled.

"So where were you?" Mousse asked.

"Doing what Nabiki said and making sure Mr. Tendo wouldn't be causing a scene at the wedding." Was the instant reply.

At that, Tsubasa looked even uneasier. "I know that it's wrong to do so… but I can't shake the feeling that Kasumi's father is a little nuts."

Mousse snorted. "I've been his son-in-law for three years, and trust me when I tell you that there's nothing wrong with feeling that way- he's completely out of his gourd."

Tsubasa simply looked worried for a few moments… then his gaze went to the flower arrangement that Ryoga had dragged in and his eyes hardened, rage chased the doubt from his stance, his back stiffened and, to the confusion of the other two men in the room, he strode over to it practically bristling like a cat about to start clawing. Comprehension dipped when he thrust a hand into the middle of the flowers, then dawned as a feminine yell of pain exploded from amidst the blooms, Tsubasa drawing out a shorthaired feminine head by means of a tight grip on brown hair.

"Ow, ow, brother!" The stranger whined.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Tsubasa snarled angrily.

Ryoga and Mousse looked at each other, and their gaze rendered words obsolete. He was going to fit right in.

XXX

It had taken Ranma and Ukyo a while to reach Nerima, and they had spent a lot of that time discussing exactly what they were going to do at the ceremony. While Kasumi had invited them, there were people that they didn't particularly want to meet, and they knew that there were also people who wouldn't take their presence very well either. They had finally agreed that, as rude as it might be not to actually congratulate Kasumi face to face, it would be impossible to do so without being seen by someone who bore a grudge- and it would be far ruder to cause a riot on her wedding day.

So they had stowed their belongings in an out-of-the-way vacant lot, and taken care to enter the church only amidst the last groups of strangers- people they assumed to be friends of the Tendo family, members of the Kurenai family, or friends of the Kureni family. Secretly adding their own contributions to the pile of wedding presents, they stealthily took up seats where they were sure that they wouldn't be noticed. As the organ music played, Ranma softly began talking to Ukyo.

"I never would'a figured Kasumi to go for a Western style wedding. She always was a traditional sort of girl."

"Maybe, but people change." Ukyo pointed out. She then sighed, her eyes practically glittering as she took in Kasumi's dress, the decorations, everything, really. "Besides, isn't this just so romantic?" She asked.

Ranma shot her a worried glance at of the corner of his eye. He sort of figured that they'd get married someday- she was still his legal fiancée, and they had been traveling together for three years, and they were going to have a baby together, but he wasn't sure he wanted to get married just yet! He said nothing, though; this wasn't the sort of place to cause a scene. "I always figured they couldn't afford a real traditional one anyway."

He'd intended to mutter that to himself, but Ukyo overheard him and her expression darkened. "When did you get so cynical?" She asked, in the same fashion.

Ranma tightened his jaw, lest he say something he shouldn't… only for it to fall open in surprise. "What happened to Akane?" He murmured.

Ukyo felt an instinctive swell of jealous anger rise within her (at least, she **hoped** that was what it was; she still wasn't entirely over the morning sickness phase), until she looked to the bridesmaids and saw her old rival, whereupon shock pushed it out of the picture. "Either she's **really** let herself go, or she's pregnant again." She dimly heard herself replying, but couldn't be sure that she had actually spoken, as most her attention was fixated on the girl with whom she had once fought for Ranma. A tangled knot of feelings, including some fear, began to well inside her; was **that** what she was going to look like in a few months? She bit back a yelp as Ranma's elbow suddenly planted itself none-too-gently in her side, but internally felt more than a little grateful that he'd gotten her mind off of that and back onto the ceremony. Yes, it truly was surreal to see the boy who had stalked her in Junior High marrying someone else- and the fact he was actually wearing men's clothing only heightened that feeling. However, that didn't mean the ceremony wasn't beautiful, or that she couldn't see the love the couple felt for each other.

Once the rings and vows were exchanged, and people began to file out for the reception, Ranma and Ukyo were amongst the first to do so. They would have left the building then and there, but Ukyo had a sudden need to use the facilities, and so Ranma had resolved himself to the equivalent of standing in the corner with his face to the wall. This actually worked fairly well, as the other adults were more interested in talking with those they recognized, but one thing Ranma hadn't counted upon was the inquisitive nature of children.

"Who are you?" The little girl asked, staring up at him with shameless curiosity.

Ranma looked the three-year-old over, realizing just who she had to be, and felt something bite at his heart. Forcing it away, he simply smiled at her. "I'm an old friend of your aunt's, that's all."

The girl was silent for a few moments, then, matter of factly, stated, "You're kind of weird."

"So are you." Ranma replied instantly and in a pleasant tone of voice, his smile growing a touch more genuine when she laughed in delight.

"Hitomi, where are you? Hitomi? Oh, there you are. What have I told you about bothering nice… people…" Mousse's voice trailed off as he stared right at Ranma's face, recognition clearly dawning on his face, Ranma's own mental reaction equal parts "Oh shit" and "How the hell can he see without his glasses?"

Ranma began to back away as subtly as he could, Mousse's eyes never leaving him. "It's you…" Akane's husband of three years said, disbelief and surprise dominant in his voice, but a definite icy undertone was enough to make Ranma feel threatened.

"Relax, we came here only because Kasumi invited us, and we're leaving now. I'm not here to pick a fight." Ranma stated bluntly, not bothering to warm the ice from his voice.

Mousse did his best to stay calm, his own former hostility towards Ranma helping him maintain his dignity, but a part of him was truly hoping that Ranma was speaking the truth. He couldn't forget that Ranma had always been able to beat him in a fight, and right now he had almost no weapons on him- if Ranma was holding some sort of grudge, then Mousse was honestly afraid of what the outcome might be. Apparently, though, Ranma's skills at reading people had only sharpened in the three years since he left, and his old rival simply smirked at him.

"I'm not here to fight. It wouldn't do any good- besides, you two seem to have sorted things out for yourselves. Kinda surprising, though; I'd'a figured she'd get you fixed after the wedding."

"Why you…!" Mousse hissed, forcing himself to keep still. His anger ebbed when Ranma suddenly shook his head and looked apologetic.

"I… shouldn't have said that. Sorry."

Mousse could be forgiven for reeling at that. This was really all more than he had expected, or needed, on a day like this. It did not help matters when another familiar figure suddenly slipped up beside him, clearly looking ready to fight.

"Ranchan? What's going on?" Ukyo asked, ready to defend her lover if she needed to.

"Nothing, Ucchan. We're leaving." Ranma said, turning and walking towards the exit, Ukyo following in his wake.

Mousse blinked, trying to process what had happened, and could only call after them, feeling rather stupid the moment the words left his mouth. "Are you going to come back?"

The two stopped, then continued, their answer floating back to him. "Probably not. Things change."

Mousse watched them vanish out the door, then felt a tugging on his hand, looking down at Hitomi. "Dada, who were they?" She asked curiously. Mousse smiled down at her, then began to lead her back to her mother. "Just some ghosts from the past." He said.

"Oh." She said, thoughtfully. Then grinned. "Cool."

_Yes, I know, a weird work, but isn't that rather expected of me? This was just something that came to me, so I managed to go with it. Don't know when A Chinese Connection will get put up, so don't ask. For the curious, the poll to determine the next serial Gideon020 and I has been closed, and the winner is… to nobody's great surprise… Chasing the Rainbow! The first chapter should be out hopefully within the week._


	2. Chapter 2: Protective

**Childhood Loyalties**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form._

**Author's Notes:** not entirely sure where this idea came from, or even if it works, but it's something that you readers will have to decide. They can't all be gems, as my last update to A Chinese Connection proves. And before anyone asks, yes, the questions I have Ukyo raise about the details of the contract have always bugged me- they feed my dislike of the whole damn mess.

Protective

Ukyo looked levelly across of the grill behind which she worked, the cooking surface now serving as a symbolic barrier against the "opponent" sitting on the other side. Though the woman sitting before her did not look like much – a well-preserved, nice-looking middle-aged woman with reddish-brown hair – she posed perhaps the greatest threat that Ukyo had ever had to face. Ukyo refused to be daunted, though. She might not have gotten involved in some of the more spectacular madness that had enveloped Ranma's life, but she was no pushover either, and when her fiancé's life was on the line, she was adamant in her resolve.

"How can I help you, Mrs. Saotome?" She asked, making sure to keep her voice level and calm, so as not to betray any sense of either fear or hostility.

"It was mentioned to me that my son might be here, Mr.-"

"Miss Kuonji." Ukyo interjected, placing her rote emphasis on the proper gender designator. "The outfit isn't very flattering so I get that a lot, but I'm really a woman. As to your son, I'm afraid I couldn't really say. What do you want him for?"

Nodoka looked unnerved and idly played with the wrappings of her ever-present katana. "I need to speak to him about his oath to become a man. I've heard that he has broken off his engagement to Akane Tendo, and, well, that sort of thing really isn't manly…"

"It depends on your point of view." Ukyo stated with forced casual calm. "Is it manly to bow one's head slavishly to the demands of a person who has proven beforehand to be selfish and foolish? To sacrifice one's own happiness and bind one's self willingly to a girl who is not only unwilling to do so herself, but who reacts to such feelings of resentment and anger with violence, derogatory comments and blatant mistrust? Or is it manly to accept that this is one occasion when one must stand on one's own feet and resist the goading of another? To chart one's own path rather than blindly obeying, no matter how easy the latter would be?"

Though she made no sign of it, Ukyo was quite pleased that she'd managed to pull that off. Ever since Ranma had finally told her about the whole messy business with his parents and their seppuku pledge, Ukyo had been wracking her brains to think of a way to put a positive spin on the idea of Ranma leaving Akane for her. She had been practicing and revising that speech for several weeks now, and a part of her was quite pleased that she finally had a chance to use it. Maybe she should consider acting as a hobby…

Nodoka looked uncertain, but not greatly shaken. After a few moments of silence, she spoke up. "There is some merit to what you say, but that does not change the fact that my husband did make a solemn oath to wed Ranma to Akane."

"With respect, Mrs. Saotome." Ukyo interjected. "Their oath was to have Ranma 'carry on both schools of Anything Goes martial arts'- there was never anything that explicitly said about marriage. And I would hesitate to say that there even is a Tendo School of Anything Goes for Ranma to carry on in the first place."

Seeing Nodoka about to say something, Ukyo hastened to cut her off and emphasize her point. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Saotome, but it's the truth. I've been in town for a while and the Tendo Dojo has never had any major battles or famous disciples that I've been aware of- it's always been Ranma who's had to step up and defend them against any challenger who might wander by, and most of them are after him in the first place. Akane Tendo has some skill, but she's mostly self-trained, and it's really more of a hobby and a boasting point than anything else to her. They have nothing to offer him except a dojo to operate out of, and even then that will keep their name."

Nodoka scrutinized Ukyo deeply, and it was the Kuonji girl's turn to feel nervousness biting at her. "Miss Kuonji, I have not been to Nerima often, but I have heard rumors that you are interested in my son. Would you care to explain?"

'Don't blush, don't blush, don't blush…' The litany ran through Ukyo's mind as she struggled to keep her own body under control. "Ranma and I are good friends, and have been since we were children. And if we happen to be attracted to each other, so what? After all, we do have a legitimate engagement of our own- one agreed upon by Genma Saotome, no less."

Ukyo hadn't wanted to share that tidbit, but it looked like it was just the ace up her sleeve after all, judging by Nodoka's poleaxed expression. "That's not possible!" She protested weakly.

"I'm afraid it is. But it's a long story and not that pleasant. Let's clear the air; what this all boils down to is that contract you and your husband made. May I see it?" Ukyo asked patiently. Nodoka looked suspicious, but handed over the infamous pledge, which Ukyo took and studied for a long time. Then, hesitantly, she asked the question burning within her. "…Where's the rest of it?"

"Pardon me?" Said the confused matriarch of the Saotome family.

"This is just 'I will commit Seppuku, signed Genma and Ranma Saotome'. Where's the rest of the details?"

"My husband vowed to me that Ranma would become a man among men. I have not forgotten." Nodoka stated proudly.

"And what exactly does that mean? What constitutes 'manliness'? Where are the terms by which he can and cannot satisfy this oath? Who decides what the terms are- you, or your husband? What happens if he decides that 'manliness' means being a lying, cheating, opportunistic swindler, and you decide that it means quite the opposite?" Ukyo asked insistently, probing and piercing at Nodoka's conviction, rendering Ranma's mother quite obviously distraught at her inability to answer. Finally, Ukyo took pity and began speaking in a gentler tone of voice.

"It's not your fault. Genma Saotome is a swindler; he's all too quick to make promises to get what he wants and then break them when he's gotten what he wanted. He probably never intended to live up to such an extreme oath- that's why he made it so vague, so he'd always be able to wriggle out of it on a technicality. Believe me when I say that Ranma is a son to be proud of. He can be impulsive, brash and heartless at times, but who isn't, especially after having lived the sort of life he has? He's brave, forgiving, patient, a masterful fighter; a generous soul… but there's no way he can ever live up to such an undefined contract. Nobody could. Could you really try and force your only child, who you haven't seen for so long, to live or die by something so ambiguous? Call it off."

"I… I… I just don't know. I… I need to speak to Genma…" Nodoka finally managed to say.

"He's usually at the Tendo Dojo. Wait there, make it be known why you're waiting, and I'm sure you'll find him. Your son loves you, but he's too afraid of disappointing you to show himself to you until he's proven he can live up to that contract… and that's impossible. For both your sakes, put it aside." Ukyo explained.

Nodoka nodded with absent politeness, and rose from her seat. As she approached the door, though, she halted and turned back to the restaurant's proprietor. "If I hadn't been willing to listen to your advice, just what would you have done, young lady."

Ukyo smiled grimly and pulled her battle spatula off of her shoulders, dramatically running a finger along the topmost edge and allowing the blood to trickle from it. "I would have challenged you to a fight, with you tearing up that contract as the wager. And I would have beaten you. Ranma would probably never have forgiven me for doing so, but I would have done it all the same."

Nodoka looked blank, then gave her a respectful nod of the head. "Interesting. I'm still not entirely happy about this situation with the engagements, and my husband and I will be having a few words on that subject, but my son is lucky to have a friend like you."

Ukyo returned her respectful nod, then watched her leave. Once she was sure that Ranma's mother was gone, she exhaled heavily and headed upstairs. When Ranma had arrived, he'd been badly beaten- his declaration of his renouncement of the engagement had not gone down so well. Though Akane hadn't gotten violent (instead simply giving him her token screaming session, apparently to claim that she was dumping him instead of the other way around), their parents and Ryoga (stupid jackass; couldn't that moron ever make up his mind as to what he wanted?!) hadn't been so restrained. She had given him her bed to rest up from his injuries, and he should still be out of it, but she knew from personal experience that it didn't pay to underestimate Ranma's durability, or knack for recovering.


	3. Chapter 3: Dojo Yaburi

**Childhood Loyalties**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form._

**Author's Notes:** not too many reviews, but then, this is more to get things off my mind and prove that Ukyo (or Shampoo, in terms of this anthology's counterpart) can be a valid match with Ranma. Doesn't mean I wouldn't like them, though. Anyway, to those who are curious, unless stated otherwise, there's no connection whatsoever between any two oneshots. For example, this oneshot can be seen as the first in a 'series' I've taken to mentally dubbing "The Travelers"; open-ended, episodic drabbles based around a common back story- namely, Ranma and Ukyo hooking up and hitting the road, abandoning Nerima and everyone in it. Future oneshots in the same 'series' will likely include "Shelter" and "Pursuit".

For anyone who points out that those who commit Dojo Yaburi are traditionally considered hoodlums and Ranma wouldn't do such a thing, consider that Ranma seems to learn moves best by fighting opponents, and that Soun and Genma have challenged dojos at least twice (Chingensai and Chardin) with the intent of demanding money/food if they won. It's quite likely that Ranma was a Dojo Destroyer prior to arriving in Nerima, whereupon he no longer needed to do so.

Also, I didn't actually make up Ukyo's spatula being a Masamune-crafted weapon; she says so herself in the episode "Ghost Story! Ranma and the Magic Sword".

Dojo Yaburi

Mikiko Abukara, heir to the Abukara Dojo, fought the urge to either slap her forehead in disbelief (it wouldn't look good) or start screaming at her father for actually considering this nonsensical challenge (which wouldn't be respectful). Honestly, who would commit something like Dojo Yaburi in this day and age?

"Well? Will you accept our challenge or not?" asked the first of them, a longhaired girl in a rather masculine uniform, tattered and dusty as if worn long and hard.

"Forgive me, but you must understand that this is quite unusual- I've never heard of dojo destroyers asking for money if they can win." Mr. Abukara answered patiently.

"We're not exactly your average dojo destroyers." The other challenger, a boy in a Chinese shirt and pants, replied with a shrug. "We need the money for our travels more than we need anything else." He added, as if to explain.

"Say my dojo accepts your challenge. What will you offer as collateral? After all, if we're expected to pay you money if you win, then surely you should offer us something value as your stakes."

"You can't be serious, father!" Mikiko protested, unable to keep it in.

The two challengers turned to each other and began to converse quietly- after what looked like it might break into an argument, the girl finally unslung a ridiculously outsized spatula off of her shoulders and handed it to Mr. Abukara.

"A giant spatula? How is that valuable?" Mikiko asked in disbelief.

"This happens to be a family heirloom, forged by the great Masamune himself. Surely that's worth something to you?" The girl responded.

Mikiko fought to repress her skepticism; Masamune, the great sword smith, forging a giant spatula? Pull the other one! Her blood boiled as her father evidently fell for it, taking the spatula and examining it carefully.

"Very well, I will accept your challenge. One of you will fight my daughter Mikiko. If you win, I will pay you the sum you have challenged us for. If you lose, then I will keep this as a symbol of our victory."

"Only one of them? Father, I can handle both of them." Mikiko stated proudly.

"I don't doubt your skill, daughter, but I say that you will only face on of them. Overconfidence is one of the worst enemies that a martial artist can face from within himself." Was her father's firm response. "Now, which of you will complete the challenge?"

"I will." The girl answered instantly, and evidently to some displeasure from the boy.

"Ucchan…" He began.

"You had the last one. It's my turn now." She declared stubbornly.

"Just don't slip up; we both know you're mainly a weapon user." He grudgingly accepted.

With that he turned and walked to the side of the dojo, as Mikiko's father did the same. Once they had resettled themselves, Mikiko and her opponent took up their own formal stances, awaiting the declaration from the elder Abukara as to the terms and beginning of the match.

"This match will be fought to first fall. No weapons are permitted. Begin!"

At once, Mikiko charged forward; being the first to act could be the key to victory, and what was more, her blood was up and she wanted to vent. Her right arm shot forward in a text-book perfect punch, a precise, perfectly balanced blow, not under-extended, not over-extended, a punch she had practiced and refined until she was quite proud of it. It was a punch that should have sent her opponent flying- instead, she caught it with one hand and then lashed out in a side kick of her own that Mikiko barely managed to dodge in her shock.

So, this challenger had some skill did she? Well, Mikiko had more than a few tricks up her sleeve… With an inspiring battle yell she struck out, lefts, rights, kicks, the best combos and blows that she had learned here in the dojo. And none of them got through; deflections, dodges, outright blocks, the challenger refused to take a telling hit, much less fall. Her own strikes came fast and furious, forcing Mikiko to fall back to the defensive, pulling up every trick and defense she had learned to avoid being knocked over. Finally, the two stopped their mutual assault and separated to catch their breaths.

"You're surprisingly good." Mikiko admitted.

"So are you. Well, if you're this good, then I guess you're worthy of this…" Her opponent said, trailing off as she wrapped her arms tightly over the front of her chest, fists clenched hard.

Mikiko fought the urge to burst out in mocking laughter; did this girl think this was some sort of cheesy anime or manga? The laugh died in her throat when she realized that the girl was glowing, and that as she spread her arms, a ball of fiery yellow light was forming in the air.

"Moko… Takabisha!" She called, the sphere suddenly rocketing forth and catching the startled dojo heir squarely in the chest like a giant fist, hitting with enough force to not only knock the wind out of her, but to bowl her over, causing her to land hard on her back at practically the other end of the dojo.

"A ki attack? Impossible! I've only heard stories of such techniques!" Mr. Abukara shouted in surprise.

"Well, they're quite real. And I do believe that makes us the winner?" The male challenger added.

"A deal is a deal." Mr. Abukara stated stoically, rising to his feet, handing back the oversized spatula and then reaching for his wallet. "Besides which, it was worth it to see such a legendary technique performed before my very eyes."

Mikiko, who had managed to catch her breath and climb to her feet by this time, grumbled half-heartedly under her breath, but had to admit that seeing such a move in the flesh (so to speak) was quite inspirational. She blinked in shock when the male challenger suddenly bowed to her in respect and handed her a scroll.

"You fought well; you do this dojo credit. Here, take this, as a sign of our admiration."

"What is it?" Mikiko asked, curious.

"The basics for our Moko Takabisha technique. I don't guarantee it will work for you, but I'm confident that you can find your own variant with it. Come on, Ukyo."

"Right behind you, Ranma." The girl answered. With that, the two turned and walked out of the Abukara Dojo and into the sunset.

It was quite dramatic… up until they were sure they weren't being watched, whereupon they fell back out of their formal behavior.

"I can't believe you gave them the Moko Takabisha scroll." Ukyo commented.

"Well, I had to cover our necks somehow- the last thing we need is a school declaring a grudge against us for showing them up. Speaking of which, what was up with you and showing off like that?" Ranma replied.

"You said to win, we did need the money, so I won. What's the problem? Don't tell it's something like 'that was a cheap shot'- your whole style is called 'Anything Goes', and I happen to recall Ryoga mentioning you using some of your father's stupid trick techniques…"

"Alright, alright, I get the point. I still can't believe I'm actually turning into the diplomatic one."

"It's not like you didn't try it in Nerima. It was just there, nobody would listen to you."

"You're right." Ranma admitted.

"Of course I am. That's why you ran away with me." Ukyo grinned smugly.

"Really? I thought it was because I was going stir-crazy from being in one place all the time…" Ranma mused aloud, grinning wickedly as he dodged a friendly punch from his traveling partner.


	4. Chapter 4: Rendezvous

**Childhood Loyalties**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form._

**Author's Notes:** before anyone points out/complains about me using the same 'prompt' for both anthologies, I freely admit that coming up with distinct, individual prompts for each one all the time is beyond the grasp of a hack writer such as myself. There will be others, but rest assured that I will strive to make each anthology's 'interpretation' of that prompt distinctive.

On a similar topic, I do have another two 'prompts' for both this anthology and its counterpart; "Old Souls" and "Future Echoes", each revolving around the key of a past/future incarnation respectively of the focus couple. I have two questions for you readers:  
Should I make "Old Souls" and "Future Echoes" two parts of the same chapter, or two separate chapters?  
Which Future Echoes should I assign to which couple? So far, I can see a vaguely Robotech-inspired Space Opera type setting, and a Post-Arcane Apocalypse type setting- I'm just not sure which of them should be the "fate" of Ranma/Shampoo or Ranma/Ukyo. Or even if I should use a different pair of 'futures' altogether.

Rendezvous

The couple attracted more than a few jealous glances and envious expressions as they strolled through the streets of the greater Tokyo area. True, the boy had a somewhat feminine grace to him, and it was unusual to see a guy with hair that long, but the bulky shirt draped smoothly over a flat chest, and the undeniable feminity of the girl beside him made his gender obvious. She was a beauty indeed, and more than a few of the girls with boyfriends of their own got jealous when said boyfriends couldn't help but stare at her cute glasses and long, slightly curly brown hair. Those who were witness when the two surreptuously slipped into a love hotel couldn't help but curse silently (and some not so silently) to themselves; one (or both) of those two was clearly getting lucky.

They were, but not in the fashion any of those witnesses could have expected.

Ukyo Kuonji sighed in audible relief as she slipped off the cumbersome buttoned shirt and loosened her chest bindings, getting an amused expression from her companion. "What?" She challenged playfully. "This was never comfortable to begin with, and I haven't pulled off the 'I'm a guy' act in the last couple of months. I got to say, you make a beautiful girl." This last part was said in a teasing tone of voice, Ukyo enjoying being able to poke fun at her fiancé.

"Yeah, the one thing this dumb curse is good for is a handy disguise." Ranma said, understanding Ukyo's intention, even as she shucked off the glasses and the wig she had been wearing (Ukyo was positive she recognized them as the same ones that Ranma had used to pull off the 'Ryoga's Fiancée' act) and carelessly yanked off her skirt to stand before Ukyo in nothing but her boxers. "I still wish we didn't need to do this."

"Me too, but until we can figure out a way to take care of the other things…" Ukyo said sadly, referring in those few vague words to Ranma's also-legitimate engagement to Akane, his father's stubborn clinging to that engagement, Akane's possessiveness, the Amazons and their brutal dedication to something that Ukyo was increasingly sure wasn't a legitimate engagement even by their laws, and Ryoga's inability to decide between his lust for Akane and his desire to hurt Ranma. She sighed softly. "The mice might play while the cat's away, but the cat will hear what the mice did unless they choose to hide it."

"Which means I have to appear to be a girl to the public eye, and you a guy, when we get the urge to do this- after all, it's not like it's safe to just do it at your place." Ranma stated. "Ah well, at least they let us have a room with a bathroom- I just can't do **that** as a girl, no matter what I feel." Ranma spoke this last part apologetically.

"I don't swing that way anyway." Ukyo replied nonchalantly, waving a hand freely for emphasis. "But… Ranchan…?" Ranma, who had just been heading towards the bathroom, turned curiously at Ukyo's voice, her eyes widening in shocked disbelief as the bifauxnen suddenly latched onto her lips. This stunned state lasted a few moments, but then faded as Ranma started giving as good as she got. Finally, Ukyo released the dazed, delighted, blushing redhead and smiled softly. "I may not swing that way, but I can still kiss you, whoever you are." Then her smile turned distinctly lecherous. "Now get that cute little tush in there and get changed back! Time's a wasting…"

Between her tone of voice, and her eager slap on Ranma's butt, Ranma practically flew into the bathroom.

About an hour later, the boy and the girl left the hotel. Those who had envied them before took one look at the matching expressions of happiness and deep, **deep** satisfaction, and either cursed bitterly that they couldn't be so lucky or felt happy for the couple, depending on how magnanimous they felt.

In hindsight, leaving their real clothes back at Ucchan's Okonomiyaki probably wasn't the brightest of ideas. But the couple took back routes and, when you can leap multiple stories in a single bound, cling to 'sheer' concrete walls, balance atop a fence or a power line, and move, if only in short bursts, faster than the eye can see, there are surprisingly few ways for you to be spotted unless you either slip up or want yourself to be seen. By the time Akane entered the shop, Ranma and Ukyo were dressed in their normal apparel, had wiped the matching grins from their faces, and taken their 'normal' positions as the eating customer and the working chef respectively.

"So here's where you've been. Why do you always hang out at this particular restaurant, anyway?" Akane wondered, in a good mood and thusly not inclined to accuse Ranma of lechery.

"What can I say? I love the tastes." Ranma answered nonchalantly, causing Ukyo to quench either a blush or an embarrassed, satisfied giggle, neither of which would have been a very bright move with Akane present. Finishing up his okonomiyaki, Ranma stood up. "See you next week?" He asked Ukyo, the smile on his face saying what his words couldn't.

"Anytime, sugar. I'll have all-new sensations for you when you do." Ukyo replied. Now it was Ranma's turn to fight against treacherous reactions, prompting him to be the first out of the restaurant, lest Akane see something that would make her suspicious. Totally clueless, Akane thanked her rival and sort-of friend and followed Ranma out, back in the direction of the Tendo dojo.

_This was unusually lime-flavored; don't think I've ever done something like that before. Kinda short too, but that's to be expected for a drabble. Ah well, hope it wasn't too painful to read… and, really, what do you expect for spur-of-the-moment writing?_


	5. Chapter 5: Dancers

**Childhood Loyalties**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form._

**Author's Notes:** a short, pointless piece whose origins I couldn't admit to. Technically, I suppose you could consider this a prequel to the "Back to Nerima" oneshot, but this is effectively just an ordinary drabble.

Dancers

"This is humiliating." Ranma complained to Ukyo when they passed each other on the stage, managing to be heard by her even though the nightclub was practically leaping with loud music and cheers from the customers.

"Suck it up, Ranchan; we need the money if we're gonna get to China." Ukyo told him, though her tone was not unsympathetic. She didn't exactly approve of what they were doing either, but they didn't exactly have that many marketable skills (save her cooking, which also ate a large amount of profit due to the investment in fuel and ingredients) and this beat thievery or bouncing… not to mention that there were few people who'd take them applying as bouncers seriously, even if either one of them could have broken the average muscle-bound barfly in half. Wasting her skill dancing for lusty drunks was humiliating… though she did have to admit that it was kind of pleasing that she, who dressed in boy's clothes most of the time and had spent most of her life pretending to be male, could make people stare in delight.

Ranma grumbled to himself as he twisted and cavorted and gyrated in fashions that most ordinary dancers would have considered too dangerous to their skeletons; the only good thing about all of this, as far as he was concerned, was that the place was mixed-sex and so had use for a male dancer. He wasn't sure he could have taken it if he'd had to be a girl for this; simply going on dates was bad enough, with the way people invariably touched and groped and… eeuurgh! At least the people here weren't so grabby… admittedly, there had been that one guy who had just up and brushed his hand against Ranma's butt… Ranma shivered, but managed to catch himself and make it look like it was part of the act. The problem was that this seemed to be taken as a signal by the women whose table he was currently dancing atop, none of whom seemed exactly put off by his presence there and at least one of which took it as encouragement to try and pull him into her lap for a "private dance".

Ukyo, meanwhile, was currently trying her hardest to resist the temptation to break someone's fingers. It was one thing for them to admire her feminine beauty, that she approved of, enjoyed even, but trying to touch her when she didn't want them to… now **that** was a whole different story. She put on a strained, obviously false smile at the antics of one particularly drunk man, and gently pushed him away with her foot. Gently, in this case, meaning that she didn't break any bones, or kick him clean across the building- he would definitely be sore the next day. Having dissuaded that overamorous fool, she weaved around some of his buddies and tried to lose herself in the music.

Then she saw the way that women were mobbing **her** Ranma, and she saw red… she barely managed to rein in old instincts to chase them away with a show of force, instead channeling that impulse into stalking aggressively over to him and pulling him away. Entwining him in her arms, she didn't even bother to throw them a "mine!" glance before pulling him into a kiss. Even though he wasn't as shy now as he had been back in Nerima, it still gave her a warm, welcome thrill whenever he kissed her back- as he did now. She welcomed the feeling of euphoria as she released him… only for it to vanish in a second when one of the women objected to her actions and, well, things got out of hand even by Nerima standards…

About half an hour later, Ranma and Ukyo were standing on the roof of a building a safe distance away as they watched the site of their temporary employment being extinguished by the fire brigade. The heir to the Kuonji School of Martial Arts Okonomiyaki sighed in dismay. "What a waste… we humiliate ourselves for a bit of pocket change, and what happens? A riot breaks out, the place burns down, we barely get out of there without anyone recognizing us, and, worst of all, we lose almost all the tips we got. Ranchan? Next time I suggest we do this? Hit me. Please."

Ranma simply chuckled softly and put a comradely arm around her shoulders. "No promises Ucchan. But don't expect me to take you to a dance club any time soon."

Ukyo pouted in exaggerated hurt. "Why not? You're just jealous that I'm better than you are."

"As if." Ranma laughed. "I was the one everyone was looking at."

Bickering playfully, the two turned and vanished into the dark; one of the problems of not being in Nerima any longer was that things like this tended to attract attention, and not necessarily good attention. Fortunately, they were both old hands at the disappearing act, and Ranma himself could have taught lessons, thanks to his upbringing. The odds of anyone coming after them for this disaster of a night were non-existent.


	6. Chapter 6: Maternity

**Childhood Loyalties**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form._

**Author's Notes:** I'm not too sure where this idea came from, to be honest. Might have been because I wrote a oneshot for "A Chinese Connection" involving Ranma and Shampoo's children. Might be because the oneshot I made for this anthology had Ukyo pregnant as a side-note. Could even be because of the "Intimacy" oneshot. Wherever it came from, I hope it isn't too disturbing.  
In other news, enough votes were made on the poll in my profile that Gideon020 and I felt comfortable with the results. As there was a similar issue that's been nagging us, I've created a new poll and I'd appreciate it if folks could drop by. As to why we decided to make Shampoo a Sorcerer… well, you'll see our reasons after Chasing the Rainbow is finished.

Maternity

I am pregnant.

Three words. Three simple little words… and yet they mean that tremendous changes are coming. It's been no exception in my case, and it's only been about seven or eight months since I discovered my condition, which means the biggest change of all is yet to come.

Us… parents… The concept is still so hard to grasp, even with the evidence staring me in the face whenever I look into a mirror. I mean, yeah, I always did want to be a mom –I always chased Ranchan with the understanding that there'd be at least two or three kids in our future- but the reality is so overwhelming at times, you know what I mean?

It started, all those weeks ago, with me feeling sick. At first, we thought it was just a stomach bug or something- yeah, I know, original, right? We started thinking something might be wrong when I threw up in the middle of a fight; one moment I'm dodging punches, the next thing I know I'm on my knees puking, while my opponent is screaming over the fact I hit them with it. Yeah, I'm technically a practitioner of Anything Goes, but that's still no way to win a battle! Of course we go to the doctor, and of course we get the shock of our lives when he tells us I'm expecting- I know what you're thinking; typical young idiots, doing it like rabbits in spring, never thinking about the possibility of protection. I've heard more than my fair share of comments like that since we came to (the nurse giggled that we fainted in perfect synchronization… I'd be proud of our teamwork if it wasn't so humiliating)… and left more than my share of bruises, cracked bones and verbal bashings in retaliation.

Being pregnant causes changes… I never really grasped that until I actually fell pregnant. And I'm not just talking about the physical changes, though I admit that those are the obvious ones. The breasts thing I'm actually kind of happy about… I was never really the bustiest girl around, as my ability to pass off as a guy indicates- in fact, when we were in Nerima, I was honestly pretty sure that Akane was bigger than I was, or at least that there wasn't that much difference in our sizes. But despite that, and the whole crossdressing thing, I was still the Cute Fiancée, so take that! …Sorry, that's a bit of a sore spot. As for the stomach… I know it's vain and selfish, particularly when I'm having twins, but I still get misty-eyed whenever I get reminded of my former trim, lean figure. I used to have a slender, if muscular, waist… now, all I need to do is look downwards and all I see is this great gut ballooning out of me. And the weight! Yeah, it's technically not that much, particularly to someone with my training (I've actually got a spatula or two that's heavier), but the positioning of it, having to carrying it around 24/7… frankly, I'm glad that I do train as hard as I do, I'm honestly afraid of what it'd be like if I wasn't as strong as I am.

…Who am I kidding? I'm afraid of being pregnant, period. What do either of us know about being parents?! My mom died before I could remember her, and I grew up wandering the streets like a nomad with my father… up until the point where I ran away and lived on my own while seeking revenge for being abandoned by Genma. And poor Ranchan… Genma's insane, and his mother, from what I've seen of her, frankly isn't much better. Just how are we supposed to do any better then they did, though? What do we know about children- we never really were kids ourselves… What sort of life can we offer them? The life of a vagabond martial artist? I mean, I don't regret my life, and I honestly can't see Ranchan in any other life, but do we have any right to bring children into this sort of existence? …And what if we do have to give it up, for their sake? Will Ranchan be able to handle it? Hell, will he be able to handle being a father, period…?

…Oh kami… what if he can't? What if he leaves me… leaves us…?

…

Now there's one change that I'll be glad when it changes back. Hormones. Listen to me, sniveling on like some empty-headed little piece of fluff- me! A woman who practically raised herself to adulthood, who sought the man she loved and won him back despite conflicting engagements, despite being a crossdressing bifauxnen against exotic sexpots- I've got just as much confidence in myself as Ranma does, if not more! I know I'm technically lucky to not get wilder mood swings, but I'm honestly not sure how much more of these anxiety attacks and periods of existential dread I can take… I think I may have preferred my first trimester, when all the hormones did was make me sick all the time. I'm not oblivious, I'm not going to claim that either Ranchan nor I are deliriously happy about this turn of events, but we **will** do our best and we **will** give these children all that we have to give them. I know that the concerns are legitimate, but we'll get through this the way we have so far; by believing in and relying upon each other.

Ah, but Ranchan has been my foundation pillar in all of this. He's worried, I know it, but he's been trying to so hard to be strong for my sake. He's been like an angel, putting up with my mood swings, the need to earn more money, buying stuff for the babies, my cravings… and boy, is that an embarrassing subject. When one of my nurses told me that, particularly in the late trimesters, the hormones might amplify my libido, I laughed at her. How on earth would anyone feel like having sex when they were pregnant? …Well, I stopped laughing around the fifth month. I look every bit like I'm pregnant, yet I can honestly say I'm hornier now then I was **before** I got pregnant. Ranma's never complained about it… even though I'm sure it must be such a burden for him.

I think maybe it's now that I understand how lucky I was to win him. As I write these words, he's curled up lazily in the sleeping bag against me. His head is against my belly, and I can feel the twins kicking gently against his hand. He gives me that grin I love so much when I look down at him, and I can only smile back. There's still going to be so many changes to come in our lives… but we'll face them together.


	7. Chapter 7: Sweet Dreams

**Childhood Loyalties**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form._

**Author's Notes:** …yeah, this is an abstract little drabble. I have no idea where this really came from or even how I wrote it. If you can make some sort of sense out of it, you're doing better then me. Ah well, mine is not to reason why, mine is to write, or die.

Sweet Dreams

They wonder how she can bear it, sometimes. She knows, because she can overhear them talking, overhear them wondering why she persists to chase Ranma, why she continues to put herself through so much pain and anger over him. She will not deny she has suffered because of him, but that is what love means – she refuses to be deterred by discomfort. And, she must admit, when the real world grows too harsh for her to bear, she has her dreams. Many and varied are the dreams she has, but each brings her comfort in its own way.

Sometimes, she dreams of a royal court, rich with nobility and beauty. She dresses not in masculine uniforms, but in elegant kimonos or beautiful dresses. She is not jeered at as a tomboy, or derided as unfeminine; other women envy her for her beauty and grace, their jealously furious mutterings to each other music in her ears, their desperate attempts to try and look more like her filling her with pride. But, as much as it buoys her spirit, she has neither eyes nor time for them; her attention belongs to this dream's equivalent of Ranma, a dashing and elegant figure. They dance, they play music together, they compose poems; it is like something out of an old ballad or a fairy tale. She does not have these dreams often, and, to be honest, they rather embarrass her.

Sometimes, she dreams of fighting at Ranma's side, of feeling the adrenaline of a hard battle surging through her veins, the exhilaration of testing her mettle against a worthy opponent, the desire to protect her beloved from harm and the joy not only of success, but of knowing that he seeks the same thing as she. Never does she need to cower on the sidelines- here, she is Ranma's equal, able to fight at his side as she has often wished. Many are the enemies they face and defeat – not just men, not just their enemies from the real world, but more fantastical foes as well. In her dreams, they battle against creatures that could have been torn directly from a comic or an anime- howling orc warriors, evil wizards, bloodthirsty dark elves, firebreathing dragons. Sometimes, in her dream, they are demon slayers – modern or of the past – battling yokai and obake of myriad forms, from seductive, treacherous kitsune to ghastly jurogumo to malevolent nukukubi. They have even had to battle alien monsters and creatures from other universes… those are _weird_ dreams, she feels.

A frequent dream that comes to her is of their life after they are wed. These have a simple, homely feel to them, but that does not mean that she does not find them beautiful. They travel all over the country; she sells her okonomiyaki, and he helps her in between his own training. When they come to a new town, he seeks out dojos to challenge or temples that might house scrolls of martial arts techniques. She goes with him, but often she prefers to let him master whatever new techniques he finds and then learn from him afterwards. Children are a frequent, indeed almost inevitable feature; small, laughing, jubilant creatures that cluster at their feet wanting to learn this trick or that, scrambling into awkward places, clambering all over each other and their parents, playing, fighting, living, loving… those dreams always leave a bitter aftertaste, when she wakes.

Inevitably, however, the dream ends and reality wakes. As tempting as it may sometimes be to sink into the embrace of her bed and never leave it, to cling to her dreams and shy from the harsh truths of reality, she refuses. Dreams are dreams, but it is only by living and braving the slings and arrows that she may hope, someday, to turn a dream into a reality.


	8. Chapter 8: Truce By Firelight

**Childhood Loyalties**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form._

**Author's Notes:** Not very many reviews to the last chapter. Anyway, I mentioned way back in "Dojo Yaburi" that there was a kind of 'setting' to that particular oneshot, and there might be others, so consider this to be part of that 'setting'. Wasn't entirely sure how to pull this drabble off, so forgive me if it's a bit pointless. But then again, aren't they all?

Truce by Firelight

The storm howled and roared like a wild predator cheated of its prey. Ordinarily, Ryoga would have been thankful he'd managed to reach this shack before the storm had fully hit and turned him into P-chan, especially seeing as how it was night now. On this occasion, however, Ryoga was seriously contemplating if it mightn't have been better to get caught in the storm. The reasons for this attitude stared at him unblinkingly across the fire that they had prepared before he had arrived, watching him in a manner uncomfortably akin to a hawk watching a mouse. Ryoga fidgeted nervously; he didn't know what was worse… the staring, or the absolute silence with which they were doing so.

"So… Ranma… Ukyo… long time no see." He finally said sheepishly.

"If you think we're going back…" Ukyo began, unslinging her spatula as Ranma wordlessly nodded and began cracking his knuckles.

"I'm not chasing you! I'm not chasing you!" Ryoga rapidly protested, waving his hands in emphasis. "I'm just here to avoid the storm!" Relief flooded through him when they ceased their hostile motions, but irritation came close behind at their skeptical expressions; just what sort of pathetic loser did they think he was? "Oh, come on!" He complained. "Do you really think I'd come chasing after you because you eloped together? I mean, why? If you two are together then that means Akane's mine by default!"

"He has a point." Ukyo muttered to her male counterpart.

"I dunno, he's been chasing me for revenge for several years…" Ranma replied.

"Yeah, I do wanna settle the score between us, but it's not the be-all end-all of my life. I'm not Mousse, you know." Ryoga pointed out, making no effort to hide the fact he was offended by the very idea. "All I want is to keep out of the rain and I'll be gone in the morning."

"I guess we can let you stay here…" Ranma declared. "…But no funny business!" Ukyo warned, picking up where Ranma had left off, a deed that might have prompted someone less aware of their mutual skill to tease the two affianced runaways.

With that, the shack fell into silence, the two parties watching each other over the crackling flames. Ryoga couldn't really think of anything to say to Ranma and Ukyo – he had some questions, yes, like why they had done it and what had made them come to such a decision, but the ultimate truth of the matter was he didn't care. Ranma was alive, still practicing martial arts, and he had called it off with Akane Tendo – those were the only facts of importance to Ryoga. They, in turn, still seemed wary of him, which was actually kind of flattering, when Ryoga thought about it, if also a little annoying. The trio agreed to pool their resources for that night's meal, and then they turned in for the night.

When strange noises began to drift over from Ranma and Ukyo's side of the building, Ryoga instantly tensed, wondering if their paranoia had gotten the best of them and they were planning to act against him. He began to stealthily rise from his sleeping roll, preparing to defend himself, then stopped and listened to the noises… whereupon he threw himself face down into his roll and did his best to bury his head in his pillow, evading the mother of all nosebleeds only because his fingers were clamped onto his nose like iron and he was blushing like mad. He knew that they had started getting closer, the fact they had left Nerima together made that obvious, but to be doing _that!?_

Ryoga did not sleep much that evening, but still drifted off at some point, despite the… distractions. When he woke the next morning, to his surprise, he was alone, Ranma and Ukyo having evidently left before he woke. If it wasn't for the fact they had left behind some supplies for Ryoga, evidently their idea of a thank you, Ryoga would have been tempted to dismiss the last night as some kind of dream. Picking up their gift, Ryoga spent an idle moment wondering where they were going now, and what they planned to do, then shrugged it off. It was none of his business, though he privately wished his rival luck and happiness.

No, that wasn't really something Ryoga would have done when they were still battling in Nerima, but those days were past and Ryoga was inclined to be generous. After all, he had Akane, who had all but thrown herself into his arms in her anger at being abandoned, and Ranma had technically run away, so that meant that Ryoga could, in a way, claim the victory over their eternal sparring. With that in mind and cheer in his heart, Ryoga picked a direction and started walking; he knew he would find his destination eventually.


	9. Chapter 9: Aftermath

**Childhood Loyalties**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form._

**Author's Notes:** I've noticed that it's this anthology that seems to get all the 'spicy' (as far as that term can actually be applied to my work) oneshots. Why is that, I wonder? I mean, yeah, I do have a sort of 'comedic lemon-free lemon' chapter planned for "A Chinese Connection"… now if only I could figure out how to pull it off… Anyway, there's no real continuity to this, and even less point, but I suppose you could consider it a prequel to the "Travelers" micro-continuity.  
Speaking of the future, I plan to do a oneshot I'm calling simply "Married Life", a drabblet collection type piece, and I'd appreciate readers suggesting prompts (or keywords, or whatever you want to call them) for it. The basic scenario is random bits and pieces of life after the two are married, so anything that could fit into that 'theme' would be welcomed.

Aftermath

Ranma yawned openly as he woke, pushing himself upright as he did so. Boy, that had been one intense dream – he just hoped that he hadn't gotten loud in his sleep; he'd never live it down if the Tendos had heard him having an erotic dream. Hell, if they'd heard **who** he was dreaming about, he wouldn't live, period! His skin began to prickle in the cool air, which helped him realize that he was naked – funny; he didn't normally take all of his clothes off to go to sleep… And that was when he noticed the arm slung roughly around his waist, and the feminine presence next to him in the bed.

"Go back t' sleep, Ranchan, 's too early…" Ukyo mumbled, evidently still deep in sleep's gentle embrace.

Ranma almost panicked. Almost. He flinched away from her as far as he could, prompting her grip to unconsciously tighten, then stopped as he remembered that what he had first thought to be a dream was no dream, forcing himself to relax and stay where he was. While he was getting a grip on himself, however, Ukyo had evidently realized that things weren't entirely normal and woken up herself. Slowly, either from lack of awareness or sheer hesitance, she took her arm from around his waist and pushed herself upright until she was staring Ranma in the face, the pigtailed boy calling upon all the numbness bestowed upon him by Jusenkyo to ignore the bare bosom just below his own face. Staring at him blankly, face growing pale, she reached up and unthinkingly pinched one breast, something Ranma knew from personal experience (damn tomboy) to be quite painful, as evidenced by the way Ukyo practically leapt from her seat in response.

"…So I'm not dreaming, then?" She asked.

Ranma shook his head.

"…We really did…?" She trailed off, looking torn between embarrassment, disbelief, fear and lecherous glee.

Ranma, who was starting to enjoy this a bit more then he really felt he should, nodded again.

"…Oh, fuck." Ukyo quivered.

"What, again?" Ranma teased, unable to help himself. Ukyo blushed bright red and all the way down her neck and onto her chest, a fact he could see quite easily, but didn't lift a finger to him.

"Maybe later…" She answered, making it Ranma's turn to blush and mentally backpedal. "But right now, what are we going to do? They'll all go mad when they find out."

"We could just run for it." Ranma pointed out. No, he didn't like the idea, but he knew all too well just how worked up the other martial artists of Nerima could get, had been on the receiving end of their group wrath on more then one occasion, and had no particular desire to ever get caught like that ever again. If he had made his decision, then he saw no particular reason to stick around here any longer.

Ukyo looked thoughtful. "Tempting… but where could we go?" She asked.

"Anywhere. Everywhere." Ranma shrugged. "I lived on the road all my life, you and your father did the same, if they don't know when we set out of where we went, we could go forever without ever seeing them again."

"It would feel nice to be back on the road…" Ukyo admitted wistfully. "I mean, don't your feet ever feel like they all itchy, like they want you to just grab your stuff and set out for the horizon?"

Ranma nodded in understanding; he'd felt that way more then once since his father had more or less put down roots in Nerima. "You too?" He asked.

"Why do you think I take so many days away from Furinkan, from Nerima? Yes, the business is part of it, but mostly I just want to get away, you know? A few days on the road, I'm often sore and cramped because I've been in one place too long, but it makes me feel…"

"Alive." Ranma supplied.

The two fell silent, enjoying the surprising feeling of understanding each other, something neither of them could recall feeling before. Finally, Ukyo slapped her knee in emphasis. "Alright, let's get packed; do you want to risk sneaking back to the Tendos to get what you left there, or do you think you can just buy replacements?"

"First, we'll get you organized. Don't give me that look; when have you ever had to skip town at the first opportunity? It's not a lesson I particularly wanted to learn, but the old man did give me plenty of opportunities to do so." Ranma told her, then began to rise from the futon, stopping when he realized she was still looking at him. "A little privacy?" He asked, trying to sound haughty, but unable to keep the embarrassed plea from his words.

Ukyo bit back all of the possible retorts that came to her, instead giving a stoic sigh and turning to face away from him. As she listened to Ranma dress behind her, she struggled to ask a new question. "Um… about what you said before…?" She began.

"After we're well away from Nerima." Ranma insisted firmly.


	10. Chapter 10: Lover's Anatomy

**Childhood Loyalties**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form._

**Author's Notes:** it's been quite some time since I posted something here, I know. Chalk it up to writer's block; I've got a few ideas, I just haven't had the inspiration to manage to bring them to reality. A pointless little drabble, don't know where it came from.

Lover's Anatomy

The bedroom was silent, dark and cool; all was still. The light of the rising sun crept in through a crack in the curtains, gently reflecting off of the mirror to illuminate the bed, and the two bodies tangled within. Faint though the light was, it was enough to rouse the feminine figure.

Ukyo yawned softly as she rejoined the world of the wakeful, however reluctantly, then blinked her eyes and smiled gently at the face of her still sleeping fiancé-turned-lover, Ranma Saotome. Impulsively, she reached up and softly touched his face, slowly tracing his features in a gesture of equal parts admiration and possessiveness. From nowhere, the idle thought came to her; if someone had asked her to describe the features of Ranma's body she liked best, how would she have answered.

The first thing she'd have to mention, she thought to herself, would be his eyes – as if in unconscious mirroring of her thought process, her thumb brushed gently over the closed orbs. She'd overheard at least one girl at Furinkan claim that Ranma's eyes were more attractive when he was in his girl form – a deep, rich blue that they talked about "just falling into", whereas his normal eyes were "too cold". She thoroughly disagreed with that sentiment. Yes, Ranma's gaze could be cold, could cut like a knife – she'd seen him in battle, seen them at their hardest and cruelest. Yet, when he was happy, she'd also seen that happiness glitter in his eyes, like sun refracted through an icicle.

For her next thought, her hand dipped lower down Ranma's body, trailing down his neck, across his shoulder and along his arm until she was softly stroking his fingertips. His hands were another of his features that she had to say she liked. They weren't thick, blunt and coarse like his father's, or even Ryoga's, but they weren't so slender and delicate to be explicitly feminine. His skill with them, the sheer variety of things he could do, amazed her; at one moment, he could crush a stone to powder with a squeeze of his fist, or sheer through wood like a hot knife through butter with his fingers in a knife arrangement. At another, he could be so gentle that he could actually touch her without her feeling it. He could break bones, pick pockets and sew a rip in his clothes – the last one, honestly, better then she could.

Back up the arm her hand slipped, and across to Ranma's chest, her expression now taking on a much more lustful tone. Lean but toned, that was how she would describe him, and staying well away from what happened should cold water be applied. Surprisingly soft skin for someone who had lived such a rough and tumble life, stretched in just the right way over corded muscles, hard as steel, not too exaggerated, but with just the right amount of definition to make her own heart start pumping faster.

As a final touch, her hand went back to Ranma's face, gently running her index finger along his lips… and that was when Ranma finally stirred, playfully nipping the tip of her finger and prompting an unconscious squeak from his fiancée. "How long have you…?" She began, blushing, even as Ranma opened his eyes and grinned at her.

"Oh, a while." He said, dancing around the answer. "So, what brought that on?" He asked playfully.

"Just trying to figure out which of your features was my favorite." Ukyo teased back, sitting up and half-turning away from him, even as the sheets slid off of her.

"Oh? And which one is that?" Ranma asked, sitting up himself and watching her as she began to dress herself.

She said nothing until she was dressed and walking out of the room, turning back at the door and flashing him her most mischievous grin. "Which one, Ranchan…? That's my little secret." She giggled and darted out of the room, even as he playfully flung a pillow at her and then started to get dressed himself.


	11. Chapter 11: 15 Little Moments

**Childhood Loyalties**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form._

**Author's Notes:** I can't really justify this one, so I'm not going to bother. It's kind of an experiment, I guess you could call it. There's no semblance of continuity in these; they're just an attempt to see if I could come up with fifteen different attempted romantic(ish) paragraphs.

15 Little Moments

1: It was only a cheap, ordinary birthday card with his notably poor handwriting inside, but she treasured it all the same. Why? Because the day she got it, she realized she hadn't even told him when her birthday was.

2: He couldn't remember how it had happened – how it was that he had been aimlessly wandering the streets, injured and feverish. All that he could remember was comforting whispers, and cool, soft hands on his head, When he finally came to his senses, the first thing he saw was her, sitting at his side, fast asleep.

3: When her hard work pays off at last, and her cry of "Hiryu Shoten Ha" is not desperate, but triumphant, the only thing more important to her then the pride she feels is the fact that he, too, looks proud of her accomplishment.

4: He has no idea that the attack is incoming, until he hears the telltale clang of her spatula as she uses it first to shield him, and then to flatten his attacker.

5: She's never had anyone to depend on before, always had to look out for herself, and she takes pride in her ability to do so. Nonetheless, she snuggles deeper into his arms as he carries her aloft, the feeling of contentment at this proof that he does care, and the enjoyment of the sensation of almost-flight, overwhelming her pride in her independence.

6: He's at a loss for words to say; all he did was try and give her a bento as a way to thank her for all the okonomiyaki she's ever given him, the next thing he knows, she's looking at him the way Akane occasionally does if he has to risk his neck to save her… Though he has to admit, she really proves him right for calling her the "cute fiancée"…

7: It's a quiet, lazy afternoon, she's got no other customers, it's raining softly outside, and she and Ranma are merely making small talk. Hardly what anyone else would call romantic… but anyone else wouldn't be caught up in a love dodecahedron, and Ukyo will gladly take what she can get.

8: When he told her that he'd found a clue to a possible cure and asked her for some help, he was just intending she'd make up something to keep the others from following and screwing things up, not that she'd up and tag along with him to help get past whatever traps and guards might be in the way.

9: They're miles from civilization, dirty, soaked from a storm that broke out at the worst possible moment, he's currently in female form and all in all it's been one hell of a day. Still, at the end of it, she can lean against his (even if he's currently a she, she'll always think of Ranma as a he) shoulder, and she doesn't push her away, and she's content enough.

10: Words fail to describe how touched he is when he learns that Ukyo not only remembered his birthday, but actually prepared a small, private and innocent celebration for the two of them. When Akane spearheads its destruction, fearing something "dirty" is going on, Ranma is angrier with her then he can ever recall being.

11: This wouldn't have been her preferred choice in movies for their first date… but she's too caught up in the sheer enjoyment of watching determined mecha pilots fighting on a ridiculously grandiose scale to care. That Ranma was clearly enjoying this just as much as she was made it all the harder to resist.

12: He toweled the sweat from his body, taking deep, regular breaths, and watched with a sense of admiration as his partner did her best to emulate his ease, despite the fact that she had been having a harder time of their sparring session then he was. "Not bad, Ucchan."

13: Ukyo would never have told anyone this, but once the whole mess with the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion had been over, she'd bribed Genma Saotome to share with her all of the pictures of Ranma that he had. Her fiancé, however reluctant he might be to accept the title, had just been so cute when he was little!

14: After Ranma had mastered the Hiryu Shoten Ha and gotten his strength back, he'd tried his best to forget about the humiliating photos of him that his father had shown to Ukyo and Akane, and the sexy photos he'd been forced to take of his other side to get Happosai all heated up. He was quite surprised when, maybe two weeks later, he got an "anonymous" letter containing a note that he wasn't the only one who had embarrassing photos… as proven by the array of humiliating kiddie photographs of Ukyo that it contained. He was a bit more startled by the ones of a fully mature Ukyo wearing lingerie and posing, to say the least.

15: Neither of them knew who started it, but at this point in time neither of them cared. Finally, lack of oxygen forced them to break apart, both of their eyes somewhat glazed. Ranma was the first to speak… if one could call a soft, disbelieving exclamation of "wow" speaking. Ukyo was the first one to regain all of her senses. "Not bad," She told him, grinning wickedly, "But I bet you can't do it again- eep!" She squeaked in shock as Ranma smirked back and drew her in again.


	12. Chapter 12: Children

**Childhood Loyalties**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form._

**Author's Notes:** This could be considered part of the "wanderers" micro-continuity amongst these oneshots, or just the two on a training trip; it's your decision. Anyway, I've been focusing on this anthology to try and close the gap between it an "A Chinese Connection", so expect an update for the other anthology fairly soon. The first draft of the next CTR chapter is almost done, we just need to write the ending and get the betaing done.

Children

Ukyo sighed softly, lying on her back with her hands clasped behind her head, enjoying the gentle breeze and watching the clouds drift lazily past. Beside her, Ranma chewed idly on a blade of grass, staring at the sky himself and idly crossing his legs. They rested their in companionable silence for several minutes, before Ukyo was the first to speak up. "Hey, Ranchan?" She asked, not looking away from the clouds.

Ranma hummed to show he was paying attention.

"What do you see in your future?" Ukyo wondered.

"…What do you mean?" Ranma replied quizzically.

"Well, we're not going to be like this forever. What do you see your life being like, in the years to come?" She persisted.

"In what ways?" Ranma replied, still inscrutable.

"Well… what about kids?" Ukyo suggested.

"What about them?"

"Do you want any? How many do you see yourself having? Do you want boys, or girls, or some of each? What do you want them to grow up to be?"

Ranma fell silent for a long minute, mulling it over. "What about you?" He finally replied.

"…What about me?" Ukyo wondered.

"You brought the idea up; surely you've got your own answers." Ranma smirked.

Again, silence reigned, and Ranma was starting to think that maybe Ukyo had dropped the subject in embarrassment when she softly said, "Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, I want kids. I'd like a little boy and a little girl, though I wouldn't mind having more then one of each, you know? It was kind of lonely being an only child; I always wanted a bigger family then just my dad and I. But not too big; I never want to have so many kids I can't give all of them what they deserve. And, of course, I'll teach them all martial arts; can't let the family style die out, right?" She grinned playfully at Ranma, turning back to the sky again afterwards. "Your turn."

"W-what?"

"I told you my dreams, now you tell me yours." She insisted.

"…Not really much to say. I honestly never thought about it before – I mean, can you imagine me as a dad?" Ranma asked, deliberately incredulous.

Ukyo looked him over meaningful, and then gave a single, emphatic nod, leaving it up to Ranma as to what she was agreeing with.

"Anyway… I guess I do want kids, at some point. Not right now, ya know, but… someday. Boy or girl? …Never really thought about it. I guess, after everything I've been through, I don't really care – I just want a kid who's a tough little scrapper, you know what I mean? Someone I can relate to, someone I can teach, someone I can understand… I mean, I want them to have a better childhood then I did, but… what do I really know about a normal life?"

Again, the companionable silence settled between them, the minutes ticking away unnoticed. And then, Ukyo spoke up once again. "R-Ranchan…" She hesitantly began.

"Yeah, Ucchan?"

"Would you… I mean, could you… do you think? Would you ever consider…?" She stammered, losing control of her tongue and blushing furiously. "Do you think you and I could make a family, someday?" She finally blurted, then promptly flipped over so that her back was to him and hid her face in her hands, feeling her cheeks burning so red she was wondering why she wasn't setting the grass on fire.

Ranma turned to look at her, but said nothing. He just smiled, softly, and lay there, watching her.


	13. Chapter 13: Cursed

**Childhood Loyalties**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form._

**Author's Notes:** Not really sure what to say about this. A random drabble started on a whim and not really of any point. For the curious, the next chapter for CTR is being put together, it may be one of the longest yet, and we're going to have to split the story arc being covered into two separate chapters in order to have it out in a decent interval.

Cursed

A comfortable silence reigned in the main chamber of the small and out of the way shrine that the priest Miyatsu proudly took care of. Dedicated to an obscure kami of fertility, they didn't see many visitors here, particularly in this day and age of advanced science and fertility treatments. That was part of the reason why he was so respectful to his visitors; it was so very unusual to see a young, happy-looking couple like this cross his doorstep. The other part was that it was just his nature to make friends and be polite; not only was it expected of an intermediary between the kami and mortals, he genuinely enjoyed being nice to people. So, once they had all drunk of the tea he had poured, he broke the ice.

"So, what brings such a happy young couple to this shrine?" He asked.

"Well, uh…" The young man began, looking bashful and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"We're having certain… problems… in starting a family." The woman explained for him.

"I see." Said Miyatsu gently. "So, you seek the help of our kami to overcome these… problems?" He added in the same soft tone.

"That's basically it. …Maybe we should explain just what the matter is, first?" The young man asked, turning to his lover.

She nodded, and then turned to Miyatsu, looking shy. Miyatsu, in turn, did his best to look sympathetic and understanding. After all, these two had done nothing wrong.

"There's a… very long story behind all of this, and it's really hard to believe, so we'll understand if you don't quite believe us." She said softly.

"I will keep an open mind, I assure you."

It was the young man's turn to speak, after heaving a soft sigh. "We met when we were just little kids, the two of us. I was the son of a traveling martial artist, taken from home to become the best fighter I could. She was the daughter of a wandering okonomiyaki vendor. Seeing how well we got on together, her old man brought up the topic with mine of engaging us to be married."

"So, you're childhood friends who grew up to become husband and wife? It must have been nice." Miyatsu interjected with a smile.

The couple shrugged their shoulders in unison. "Might have been." The woman said. "But it didn't happen that way. I was… something of a tomboy, back then, and he was… well, he was a typical little boy. He didn't know I was a girl. His father never even told him about the engagement… just took my dowry and naïve little Ranma here and ran off. Left me at the side of the road."

"How dreadful!" Miyatsu exclaimed in horror.

"I later learned the old man had made plans with a training partner of his, long before I was born, to engage me to one of his daughters. Never told me about it until the day he took me to meet her – didn't let it stop him from agreeing to engage me to Ukyo neither. Add to the fact I actually did get something of a crush on the girl he wanted me to marry, not knowing about the deal with Ukyo's dad, the fact I beat this girl from this weird little village in China and she said that meant she had to marry me, and the fact this rotten rich girl decided she wanted to be my boyfriend, and it was one hell of a mess." The young man, Ranma, explained.

Miyatsu's voice deserted him, and his insight told him that anything he might have thought to say wouldn't have been appreciated either. Instead, he merely kept silent and allowed the couple to progress at their own rate.

"How we got together doesn't really matter, but suffice to say that we did." The young woman, clearly Ukyo, began. "However, we couldn't leave without hurting people, and one of the most unlikely people decided to hurt us back for it."

"You remember what I said about my old man making a promise to marry me to the daughter of his training partner?" Ranma interjected.

Miyatsu nodded.

"Well, he got so steamed at me deciding I wanted Ukyo that he actually cursed us. I think he was almost as surprised as we were when it turned out he had some kind of personal guardian kami looking over the place and she declared she'd grant his wish, but that's the story of our lives." Ranma finished.

"I think I understand." Miyatsu declared. "So, this kami's curse renders your love barren, a punishment for breaking the hearts of her adopted family?"

"Not so sure they were her 'adopted' family, but yes." Ukyo answered.

"I see. Well, I cannot guarantee that we can help, as it has been many years since such a case as yours came to us, but I can assure you that we will scour our archives to see if we can at least point you both in the right direction."

"Thank you. That's all we can ask of you." Ukyo answered politely, even as she and Ranma rose from their seated positions to leave to shrine.

Unsure of why the impulse had seized him, Miyatsu still couldn't help but ask. "But what will you do if we don't find anything?" He called after them.

As one the two turned to face him, an identical sad smile on each of their faces. "We'll keep looking. We fought too hard to get together, we're not going to let anyone break us up, no matter what they try."

With that, they left, leaving the priest resolved to start going over the shrine's archives as soon as humanly possible.


	14. Chapter 14: Family

**Childhood Loyalties**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form._

**Author's Notes:** Not really much point to these, I'll admit, but they seemed fitting somehow, so that was why I made them. As always, prompts quite welcome.

Family

_Father-in-Law: Hers_

There was no point in denying the truth; Ranma was honestly afraid of meeting Ukyo's father again. He didn't recall much of the man; they had only interacted in a casual way when he was a kid, and so the only memories of him he had were of an impressively intimidating man, rough but good-hearted. And then Genma had caused Ranma to effectively "run out" on his daughter; surely the man had to be holding a grudge about that?

…He was. But against Genma, not Ranma. As the senior Kuonji explained, Ranma certainly hadn't come up with a plan to seduce his daughter, get himself engaged to her, and then run out on her – he was far too young. The fact Ukyo had been willing to resume the engagement when he and she met again, and that he finally bit the bullet and married her like he had promised, were both ample proof of that.

For all his friendly welcome, though, and his evident pleasure to have Ranma as a son-in-law, Ranma couldn't quite shake the feeling that it was the fact that he had chosen Ukyo alone that was why the man was so happy to meet him again…

XXX

_Father-in-Law: His_

Ukyo did not like Genma Saotome. To be honest, few people did – even his own son didn't especially like him. So, naturally, she was rather wary when he showed up on their doorstep, on the day she and Ranma were getting ready to leave Nerima – they knew their welcome had most emphatically run out, now that they were married.

"What do you want?" She growled. Ranma was currently inside finishing up some of the last few things they needed to do before they left."

Genma merely stared at her, inscrutably. "So, it's true." He stated at last.

"Yeah, it is. Look, why are you here?" Ukyo snapped, hand unconsciously reaching up to her battle spatula.

Genma's gaze fixated itself on her hand – her left hand, still at her side. "No ring?" He asked.

Ukyo flushed with embarrassment. "We didn't really have… look, I didn't marry Ranma for his money, ya know!"

"I think better of you than that." Genma replied. "…You truly love him? You aren't doing this just to get back at me for ruining your childhood?"

"Yes I love him!" Ukyo snarled. "How could you even think that? I've loved Ranma since I was a little girl – when I thought he'd abandoned me, my heart broke. I spent a decade hurting because of that, and when he told me he never abandoned me, I forgave him in an instant, just because I was that happy to hear he cared for me. When he proposed to me… I thought I would die from joy. I care for him far more than you ever have, you filthy bastard!"

Genma didn't react in the slightest to her insults, instead staring at her levelly. Then, he nodded his head in a sage-like fashion. "Right answer. Make sure that you make him happy." And with that, he turned and walked away.

Ukyo watched him go in disbelief. "Wait, what?" She asked, unable to articulate anything more than that.

"You both have my blessings." Was the only reply she got, drifting back on the wind as Genma vanished down the street.

XXX

_Mother-in-Law_

Ukyo and Nodoka never really got on with each other. In fact, they preferred to avoid speaking to each other at all. Nodoka was aghast that her son would abandon Akane to marry another girl, especially one who ran her own business and dressed in such a masculine fashion. Ukyo, in turn, disdained Nodoka for her hidebound, traditionalist leanings and what she saw as blatant self-centeredness in both the seppuku pledge and the fact Nodoka would just try to brush aside her outrageous pursuit of it in the first place.

XXX

_First-Born Child_

Ranma hovered above the cradle and the sleeping form within it, hesitantly reaching down only to stop inches above it.

"Can you really believe we made this?" He asked Ukyo softly, his wife watching him from her hospital bed. She smiled at him, pride, joy and a trace of amusement twinkling in her eyes.

XXX

_Second-Born Child_

"Wow, she's kicking strong!" Kaminari laughed, patting back in response to the thumping.

Ukyo smiled playfully down at her daughter, pressing herself with childish enthusiasm against the naked swell of her mother's pregnant stomach and laughing with delight at the motions of her unborn sibling. "What makes you so sure it's a girl? It could be a little boy." She teased her.

Kaminari Saotome shook her head. "Nu-uh, it's gotta be a little girl! I want a little sister, 'cause then she'd be like Kura!"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but your little brother, or little sister, won't be anything like Kura." Ranma smiled, walking into the room. "They'll be their own person, just like you."

"Daddy!" Kaminari squealed, abandoning her mother and unborn sister to race over to her father, who effortlessly grabbed her and tossed her into the air with one arm, catching her easily as she fell back down. She giggled with delight at the familiar greeting.

"How are the three of you doing?" He asked.

"Alright, but I think we're all eager for this little one to come out and say hello." Ukyo smiled back, stroking her bump.

XXX


End file.
